Improvement in distilling



its center UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE RILEY, OF NEWiYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DI STILLING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5, 133, dated May 29,1847.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE RILEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Distilling and Rectifying Spirituous Liquors, Turpentines, 850.; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes them from all other things before known, and of the manner of. making, constructing, and using the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an isometrical View of my apparatus, and Fig. 2 a vertical section through The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The nature of my invention consists in-causing the wash or other article to be dis tilled to percolate down through a vessel filled with porous material, meeting an ascending current of steam by which all the volatile spirits are released and pass oif through theworm of the still, the wash being made to constantly-run off below.

The construction is as follows: The still may be a square or other formed vessel, made steam-tight and elevated on abase, h. In this vessel is placed a grating, f, at a little distance from the bottom, so as to form a chamber, i, above the grate. The vessel is filled to Within about nine inches of the top with either stones, pebbles, stone-coal, charcoal, broken glass, or any similar substance; but I find that round smooth granite stones of about five inches diameter are the best for the purpose. A man-hole, c, is formed in one side of the chamber ito cleanitout. This is closed when, the apparatus is in action. A short distance above the grating, f, a thermometer, 7c, is placed with the bulb within the case and its index outside. There is a tube, a, that communicates with the lower chamber, 1'. This is of siphon form, bending downward, and then turning up again, the outlet being as high as the part that enters thechambcr.

siphon form for the purpose ofpreventing the escapepf steam through it. This connects with the reservoir in which the wash is kept. Another tube, (1, is fixed in the top of the still, which is connected with the common worm.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows: The steam is let in throughthe tube 12 and ascends through 'the grate, stones, &c., till the whole is sufficiently heated, which may be known by the steam passing off through the worm. A stop-cock in the pipe 6, which is not shown inthe drawings, is then turned and lets the wash run into the still. This, coming in contact with the steam, is heated, and the spirits contained therein is vaporized, and passes through the pipe d into the worm, the wash descending through the stones, 850., into the chamber a, and thence off through the tube a. of things is kept up till the whole of the wash has run through. The heat is regulated by' letting in more or less wash at a time, and the temperature is indicated by the thermometer, which should always stand as high as 210 Fahrenheit.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Distilling alcohol and other volatile spirits by causing a current of steam to pass up through a vessel filled with stones or other substance, as above mentioned, through which the wash or other material is percolating, the apparatus therefore being constructed substantially in the manner described.

I GEORGE RILEY.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH O. ALBERTSON, J. W. MOORE;

There is another pipe, b, '1

This state 

